Seized arms enough to supply a battalion - PNP

Philippine National Police chief Director General Jesus Verzosa said Friday that the weapons cache that was unearthed some 300 meters away from the residential compound of the Ampatuan clan is enough to supply a battalion of government troops. "Now we estimate ...na pwedeng armasan ang isang battalion ng ganitong klase ng mga baril at ito ay conduct natin dahil sa tuloy-tuloy na pagtugis natin sa mga salarin na nagperpetrate ng massacre," said Verzosa during a press briefing at Camp Crame. (Now we estimate that these kinds of firearms can arm one battalion, and this is how we conduct our operations, because of our continuous pursuit of the massacre perpetrators.)

Some of the weapons that were dug up in vacant lot in Barangay Poblacion tres in Shariff Aguak were stamped with markings that read, “Department of Defense (DND) Arsenal" and “Arms Corporation of the Philippines." But Verzosa said this information has yet to be verified. The latest inventory of arsenal provided by the PNP included: * Two (2) 90-mm recoilless rifles (RR), * One (1) 57-mm RR, * Three (3) 60-mm mortars, * Four (4) M60 machine guns, * Two (2) 81-mm mortar tubes, * One (1) cal. .50 Barrett machine gun (sniper rifle?), * One (1) Ultimax light machine gun, * One (1) Bushmaster 5.56-mm automatic gun, * Two (2) Browning Automatic rifles (BAR), * One (1) Belgian-made light automatic rifle (FAL), * One (1) AK 47 automatic rifle, * One (1) HK 11 light machine gun, * One (1) 5.56-mm M4 carbine (basic M16-design rifle for commando use), * Four (4) 9-mm pistols, * Seven (7) cal. .45 pistols (not “7 ammo for cal. .45 pistols" as earlier reported), * 140 boxes of 5.56-mm ammo, and * assorted gun parts and magazine assemblies, including a spare barrel for a caliber .50 gun, 14 magazines of caliber .45 ammo, and six bolt carriers for M16 rifles. The PNP chief did not explain how the total listed number of seized firearms -- 13 long firearms (including machine guns), 11 handguns, and eight light artillery pieces -- could be able to arm a standard infantry battalion, which required an armed strength of at least 300-400 high-powered firearms. According to Verzosa, the soil in the area where the weapons were recovered appeared to be freshly dug when authorities arrived there on Thursday. "We believe that these were used during the massacre," said Col. Leo Ferrer, new commander of the Army’s 601st Brigade, adding the discovery of the weapons cache could point to the perpetrators of the crime. The joint forces of the Army and PNP also found military uniforms from the vacant lot, which is about 300 meters away from the mansion of a relative of the Ampatuans. The discovery prompted government forces to raid the houses of at least four member of the Ampatuan family, including Datu Unsay town Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., the prime suspect in the mass murder of 57 people last November 23. A report by GMA News' Chino Gaston said two .50-caliber ammo, more than 10 ammo for M16 rifles and 14 empty ammo cases, some marked with "Arsenal DND," were recovered from within the mayor's home. [See: Ammunition, ammo cases found inside Andal Jr.'s home] Chief Supt. Felicisimo Khu Jr., PNP Region 12 deputy director general for administration and head of an inter-agency group that initially probed the killings, said the discovery could be use to file more charges against Andal Jr., who is already facing 25 counts of murder raps because of the killings. Non-military personnel, including civilians, are only allowed to carry firearms with a caliber of 7.62 or below, according to Khu. "He (Andal Jr.) could be charged because he is in possession of this. Hindi naman siya military, CVO (civilian volunteer organization) or even CAFGU (Citizen Armed Force Geographic Unit)," Khu said. [See: More raps eyed vs Andal Jr. over seized high power ammo] Also raided were two houses of Andal Jr.’s cousin, Datu Salibo mayor Akhmad Ampatuan and the house Ampatuan patriarch Andal Sr. If the recovered firearms from the vacant lot would be eventually linked to the Ampatuans, separate charges will await members of the clan, according to Verzosa. But he clarified that despite the proximity to the houses of the Ampatuans, the recovery of the arms cache is not enough to prove the connection between the family and the armory. - Aie Balagtas See/JV, GMANews.TV